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COLUMBIA, Mo. — Missouri defensive end Williams Nwaneri will enter the transfer portal after just one season with the Tigers, a source familiar with his decision told the Post-Dispatch. Mizzou has submitted his paperwork to transfer, and Nwaneri’s entry to the portal is expected to be official as soon as Tuesday.

Nwaneri, a five-star recruit a year ago, was the centerpiece of Mizzou’s 2024 recruiting class. As a prospect out of Lee’s Summit, Missouri, he was rated as the best edge rusher in the class and one of the best players at any position.

But he didn’t see the field much during his freshman season. Still, Nwaneri’s departure could wind up a blow to the Tigers’ developmental plans and the future of their defense.

The On3 recruiting service first reported Nwaneri’s intent to enter the portal.

Players can still return to programs after entering the transfer portal, though that tends to be the exception rather than the rule — precedent would suggest Nwaneri is more likely to depart than stick around.

Listed at 6-foot-6 and 257 pounds, Nwaneri enrolled at Missouri as one of its most heralded young players in recent history, carrying the build and athleticism to be a force at the college level but in need of some technical refinement.

Nwaneri wound up buried on a depth chart with a handful of viable defensive ends but still didn’t see a regular role even after MU lost two edge rushers to season-ending injuries. The true freshman wound up appearing in four regular-season games, which is the most a player can enter without burning their redshirt.

MU began the 2024 season curbing expectations for Nwaneri.

“Just need him to make sure his shoes are tied and he’s taped up, ready to go,” coach Eli Drinkwitz said at the start of preseason camp. “Everything else will take care of itself. He’s plenty talented enough. The key for us is to not put too many expectations on him — just let him learn the standards of how we operate on a day-to-day basis. When it’s his opportunity, he’ll take advantage of it.”

Nwaneri was expected to be a factor in the roster Drinkwitz is assembling for the 2025 season. Missouri seemed solid at the defensive end position in part because Nwaneri, with a year of college coaching and a few games under his belt, could step into a bigger role — not as a starter, in all likelihood, but as a contributor in the edge rusher rotation.

The Tigers expect to have the likes of Zion Young, Darris Smith, Eddie Kelly Jr., Jahkai Lang, Jaylen Brown, Javion Hilson and Daeden Hopkins at edge rusher next season.